Towel cabinet



J ly 1929- A. L. JONES ET AL 1.720.218

- TOWEL CABINET I Original Filed Jan. 23 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 1 l l l 1 I I QVIbe r J-[en U-Fwschm r- I W B I ATTORNEYS July 9, 1929. A. L. JONES ET AL 1.720.218

TOWEL CABINET Original Filed Jan. 25 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNBSES INVENTORS fllbert L Jones ATTORNEYS July 9, 1929.

A. L. JONES ET AL TOWEL CABINET Original Filed Jan. 25, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l v ORS Jllberti. 331 7125 Err/1% C'JPuSohme er WITNESSES ATTORNEYS Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT L. JONES AND HENRY C. RUSGHMEYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO LOUIS J. STONE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOWEL CABINET.

Application filed January 23, 1926, Serial No. 83,332. Renewed September 27, 1928.

This invention relates to towel. cabinets, an object of the invention being to provide a cabinet from which a length of clean towel may be drawn at each operation, and simultaneously with each movement. of the towel a display device is moved, so as to display ditl'erent advertisements.

A further object is to provide a towel cabinet in which a continuous strip is fed from an accordion folded pile, such as the toweling comes from the laundry, or from a roll, if desired, the dirty end of the towel being returned to the cabinet and wound upon a spindle so that it can be easily and conveniently removed when the strip of clean towel has been exhausted.

A further object is to provide an improved arrangement of advertising mechanism operated by the towel feeding mechanism so to compel said advertising means to operate and display a different advertisement or sets of advertisements at each operation of the towel TCCl ling mechanism.

A further object is to provide in a cabinet of this character improved tensioning means to take out the wrinkles and maintain the strip smooth during the operation of feeding.

A further object is to provide an improved means which enables a predetermined length of towel to be drawn out at each operation.

A further object is to provide a towel cabinet of this character which will be neat and attractive in appearance and which will most elliciently perform the functions for which it is intended.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction andv combinations and arrangements of parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section, of the greater portion of my improved cabinet.

Figure 2 is a view in transverse vertical section through my improved cabinet;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detailview of a towel receiving spindle with a towel thereon;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in sect-ion, illustrating my improved means for manually releasing the towel feeding mechanism to permit a predetermined length of towel to be drawn oil at each operation;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in vertical transverse section illustrating a, modification.

1 represents our improved cabinet, which is adapted to be hung or suspended from a wall or other support and which is preferably provided with a. hinged door 2 at the front thereof, with a suitable lock 3 to secure the door in closed position.

The back 4 of the cabinet may constitute a removable plate, and the top 5 of the cabinet may be mo *ably or removably mounted in any approved manner to permit access to the interior of the cabinet. The bottom 6 of the. cabinet has openings 7 and 8 at the front and rear, respectively, through which a towel strip 9 is adapted to move. The clean end of the towel strip 9 passes down through the opening 7 and the dirty endof the towel strip passes up through the opening 8, any desired length of towel being exposed at the bottom of the cabinet to suit the trade.

10 and 11 represent towel feeding rolls which are mounted to turn in the cabinet but have fixed relation to each other. These rolls 10 and 11 may be friction surfaced in any approved manner so as to prevent slipping of the towel strip thereon. The towel strip is preferably of woven fabric although it may be of any desired material, and we do not limit ourselves in this particular.

On the bottom 6 a. towel supporting platform 12 is secured, said platform having an upwardly projecting flange 13 at its front edge which is relatively short, and an upwardly projecting flange or bar 14. at its rear edge which functions as a guide for the dirty end of the towel strip, directing the same over a roller 15 supported at the upper end of the bar 14.

The towel strip 9 may be positioned in the cabinet in the accordion folded manner in which it comes from the laundry, so that it is not necessary to first wind the towel on a roll as is generally customary. The towel strip is passed upwardly over a tensioning device 16, thence around the roll 10, and thence downwardly past the. tensioning device 16, through the opening 7 in the bottom of the cabinet.

The tensioning device above described, comprises a bar 17 which connects a pair iii of links 18 which are disposed at right angles to the bar and are pivotally mounted on a rod 19 adjacent the lower ends of the links. The upper ends of the links support a roller 20.

The towel strip 9 is passed first around the rod 19, then against the rear face of bar 17, thence over the roller 20, thence around the roll 10, and thence against the outer face of bar 17, so that frictional resistance offered to the passage of the strip to sn'iooth out any wrinkles and to exert any desired tension thereon.

On a trunnion 21, constituting a part of the roll 1.0 and projecting through the wall of thecabinet 1, a ratchet wheel 22 is secured and engaged by a pawl 23 to permit rotary movement of this roll in one direction only and prevent retrograde movement of the roll.

One link 18 of tensioning device 16 constitutes a stop which controls or limits the turning movement of roll 10, attention being particularly directed to Figure l of the drawings. On one end of the roll 10 a pair of guide straps 24 provide mounting for a sliding latch 25. This latch 25 has a finger 26 thereon connected by a spring 27 with one of the straps 24 so as to move the latch in one direction, the movement of said latch being limited by reason of the fact that it has a slot 28 receiving one of the trunnions 22 of the roll 10 so that it can only move the length of its slot. It will be noted that when this latch 25 is in. its forward position it will engage the upper end of one of the links 18 and hence no further tiiirning move ment can be imparted thereto and the towel cannot be drawn from the cabinet until this latch is released.

In the front door 2 ofthe cabinet we pro- 'vide a springheld plunger 29 which when forced inwardly engages a spring-held rod 30, forcing the latter against the latch 25 to move the same rearwardly a distance sulficiently to allow the same to pass the upper end of link 18. Hence the roll may be turned a complete revolution before it again engages the upper end of the link and is stopped thereby. This allows a suflicient clean portion of the towel to be drawn outwardly for ordinary use and prevents the extravagant use of the towel. In other words, it requires a manipulation of the plunger 29 before a certain length of towel can be drawn out. I

As above explained, the dirty end of the towel strip passes upwardly over the roller 15 and thence over the roller 11 and is wound on a spindle 31. Between the roller 15 and the roll 1.1 a pivoted drag 32 is provided,

which constitutes a plate divided at one end, as shown at 33, and provided with a rod or roller 3d at its free end which bears against the towel strip and functions to smooth out the towel, to tension the feed thereof, and to insure a proper feeding of the towelso as to prevent lateral displacement.

The spindle 31 above referred to has a more or less free mounting within the cabinet. In other words, this spindle has no fixed bearing but is held in proper relation to the other parts by a pair of spring bearing plates These bearing plates 35 are secured to the cabinet at their rear ends and at their for vard ends have vertical webs or walls 36 against which the trunnions 37 on the ends of spindle 31 engage and ride upwardly as the dirty end of the towel. winds on the spindle to compensate for the increasing diameter of the roll thus formed.

l fe would call particular attention to the fact that the free ends of these spring bearing plates taper inwardly from their lower to their upper ends, as shown most clearly in Figure 1. By reason of this shape and the spring tension, the tendency is to force the spindle downwardly and maintain the roll of dirty towel in frictional engagement with the roll 11.

The end of the towel strip 9 is preferably made with a loop 38 so as to receive the spindle 31, and. when the spindle is thus positioned in the end of the towel, it can be readily manipulated through the cabinet and around the several parts to bring it into operative position between the spring hearing plates 85.

In. the upper portion of our improved cab .inet we locate an endless support A which constitutes a pair of endless sprocket chains 39 and ll) connected at suitable intervals by rods ll. These chains 39 and 40 are mounted on a series of idle sprocket wheels 42' and are also positioned over driven sprocket wheels 43 liXed to a shaft ll in the upper portion of the cabinet.

()ne of these driven sprocket wheels 43 is connected by a chain 45 which meshes with a sprocket wheel 46 fixed to the roll 10 and also with a sprocket wheel 51 fixed to turn with roll 11, thus compelling the rolls 10 and 11 to turn in unison. This driving mechanism for the endless support A is preferably housed in a removable metal casing el-T on one end of the cabinet, as shown in Figure 1..

The endless support A carries an endless series of removable cards 48 which are removably coupled to the several. rods a1 and which may be of any suitable material, ornamented and decorated in any approved manner, but preferably containing advertising matter, and of such a length that when a predetermined length of towel is drawn from the machine this endless support A will 'be moved a distance of one card.

that any desired. number and size of cards may be employed to suit the trade, the important feature being that a new set of cards or a new card is shown at each operation of the towel dispensing or feeding means.

It is to be understood of course that the operation of the device is caused by a man ual pull on the clean end of the towel 9. Before the towel can be moved it is necessary to release the latch 25 through the movement of the plunger 29 before a length of towel can be drawn out of the cabinet, and only a predetermined length can be drawn out before the movement is stopped by the engagement of the latch 25 with the link 18.

At each operation motion is transmitted to the roll 11 so that it causes the roll of dirty towel to turn and wind the same length of dirty towel onto the spindle 31 which has been drawn off at the clean end of the towel. As above explained, at each operation of the towel advertising mechanism is caused to operate. Hence this movement of the advertising mechanism is altogether automatic and in synchronism with the movement of the towel.

In Figure 5 we illustrate a modification in which the clean towel strip 9 is wound in the form of a roll on a; spindle 52 which is held against spring bearing plates 53 similar to the spring bearing plates 35 above referred to, and said. roll is movable in a support or cradle 5st which holds it in the proper position, will be readily understood.

Various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form of the parts described without departing from the spirit of the invention, and hence we do not limit ourselves to the precise details set forth but consider ourselves at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

\Ve claim:

1. A towel cabinet, including a support, for a folded towel strip, a roll over which "the towel is fed. said cabinet having openings in its bottom for the entrance and exit of the towel, a pair of spring plates having walls thereon, a spindle held by the plates against the walls and adapted to receive the dirty end of the towel thereon, and a feed roll engaging the towel on the spindle and operated positively with the first-mentioned roll.

2. A towel cabinet, including a support for a folded towel strip, a roll over which the towel is fed, said cabinet having openings in its bottom for the entrance and exit of the towel, a pair of spring plates having walls thereon, a spindle held by the plates against the walls and adapted to receive the dirty end of the towel thereon, and a feed roll engaging the towel on the spindle and operated positively with the first-mentioned roll, said spring plates located at an angle and tending to force the spindle downwardly toward the last-mentioned feed roll.

3. A towel cabinet, including a support for a folded towel strip, a roll over which the towel is fed, said cabinet having openings in its bottom for the entrance and exit of the towel, a pair of spring plates having walls thereon, a spindle held by the plates against the walls and adapted to receive the dirty end of the towel thereon, a feed roll engaging the towel on the spindle and operated positively with the first-mentioned roll, and tensioning devices adjacent both of said feed rolls, one of said tensioning devices comprising a hinged plate with the free end thereof engaging the dirty end of. the strip.

4. A towel cabinet, including a sup ort for a folded towel strip, a roll over wliich the towel is fed, said cabinet having openings in its bottom for the entrance and exit of the towel, a pair of spring plates having walls thereon, a. spindle held by the plates against the walls and adapted to receive the dirty end of the towel thereon, a feed roll engaging the towel on the spindle and operated positively with the first-mentioned roll, a pivoted tensioning device adjacent the feed roll, a latch on the feed roll adapted to engage the tensioning device and stop the roll, and a springpressed plunger in the cabinet operated from outside of the cabinet and adapted to move the latch so as to permit it to pass the tensioning device and allow the feeding of the towel a distance of one revolution of the roll.

ALBERT L. JONES. HENRY C. RUSCHMEYER. 

